The impact of global sustainability trends on the Automotive sector and Motorsport’s role in supporting the industry’s adaptation to these pressures by Joey Powis

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The automotive industry is a major draw on the world’s resources.
Transportation, of which the automotive industry plays a major role is
accountable for 20% of the world’s total energy use13. The industry also uses
water intensively throughout the manufacturing process. It is estimated that
producing a car uses 39,000 gallons of water.14
Automotive Challenge 5:The industry must seek sustainable reduction in
resource usage throughout the full life-cycle of automotive products
4. What is already being done within the automotive
sector?
We have been able to identify five fundamental challenges faced by the
sustainable automotive manufacturers of the future:
Sustainability
Theme
Automotive Sustainability Challenge
Urbanisation 1) Rapidly decrease contribution to air pollutants
2) Change of ownership model to suit urban living
Climate Change 3) Accelerated exploitation of sustainable fuels
4) Building of consumer demand for sustainability
Population Growth
& Resource Scarcity
5) Reduction of resource usage throughout the full life-
cycle of automotive products
Automotive manufacturers are already putting in place initiatives to improve the
sustainability of the industry across each of these areas.